Silent Siren
by Coyote's Shadow
Summary: What if dragon's weren't the only mythical creature to be found on Berk? What if a mermaid washed ashore?
1. Chapter 1

**I DO NOT OWN ANY "HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON" CHARACTERS.** This is a fanfiction and was written for fun, nothing more. Thanks.

I'm going to do my best at spell checking/grammar checking this but if I miss something, sorry.

Also, I'm notoriously bad at finishing stories, but I've got at least half this story mapped out in my head. I'm going to do my best at finishing it. Here's the beginning, reviews would be nice.

_Tell me that the night is long  
Tell me that the moon is glowing  
Fill my glass I'll sing a song  
And will start the music flowing  
Never mind the rising light  
There's no sign of day or dawning  
In my heart it's still the night  
And we'll stay here till the morning_

Hiccup laced his finger together, resting his elbows on the table and silently watching his girlfriend across the room. She stood near the fire, back lit and beautiful in that slightly terrifying way only viking women could be. At the moment she was in the middle of what looked to be a fantastically told story (that he had probably already heard), moving her arms and body as she described it to Ruff and Tuff. She caught his gaze with a glance and a smile before turning back to her rapt audience. He bowed his head, eyes still upon her as he hid his fading smile behind his still woven hands. He was sixteen today, and his father had impressed upon him the importance of that birthday. At the age of 20, if not before, he would be expected to have a bride. He would need to choose wisely, both for himself and his people. He wasn't just choosing himself a partner, but choosing his people a second in command. Astrid would be the best _political_ choice...but was she the best choice for him as a person? He didn't have the answer to that. Not yet. He knew he wouldn't if he didn't take a step back from her, and even the village to really think things through. He sighed, closing his eyes for a moment from the image she made standing against the fire. Any viking worth his salt would be proud to have her as his partner. Any viking on all the isles, but he wasn't any viking. He looked back to her. They worked fantastically in the heat of the moment, she was a wonderful warrior, and a good person. Why couldn't he see himself with her for longer than the next few years? He didn't know the answer to that either, but he could feel it floating near the back of his skull. A part of him knew the answer, just not all of him.

"Hey!" The thought trail was broken by the very person he'd been so deeply contemplating. She slapped him on the shoulder as she sat down next to him. "The big sixteen." She smiled as he looked at her. His heart broke. He needed to tell her. Soon. Now.

"Wanna go on a flight around the isle?" He burst, a little preemptively. She smirked. Maybe she wouldn't notice his nervousness.

"Of course." She grabbed his wrist and pulled him up, dragging him outside. Toothless and Stormfly followed excitedly. As soon as they were out, Hiccup and Astrid bounded onto their respective dragons. She laughed, happily leading her dragon into the air behind him. If she could have seen his face, she wouldn't have.

_A few hours later..._

Astrid leaned against him, at the top of one of the rocky towers that jutted from the sea. It was chilly, but they're leathers and furs guarded against that. She looked up at him from her position against his chest. He was looking out at the water with the same serious expression on his face he'd had in the great hall. She frowned and turned her gaze to the waters as well, then down to his newest adaptation of prosthetic, studying it without really seeing it.

"Is something wrong, Hiccup?" she asked quietly, moving her gaze back to his face. He shifted, glancing down at her and giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze where his hand lay. Before he spoke he studied her, rolling his lips inward in a way she'd seen a thousand times before. It meant he was thinking deeply, that he was about to do something very, very hard. He looked back to the sea.

"Have you thought of your future? With the clan?" She sat up a bit, turning to really look at him. He turned his gaze back to her, steady and sure.

"I..." she broke, looking down at her hands. "No. Not really. I want to be a warrior but I'm not sure what that means for..." she looked back to him.

"For marriage. You don't know what that means for marriage." He nodded. "Yes, I thought so. You're not the marrying type." He looked back to the ocean. "I didn't think you would be." He sat a little straighter, preparing himself to continue before she could interrupt. "My father talked with me today. About my future as chief and about the duties that would entail. I'd need a wife." He looked at her then. His eyes seared her to the soul. "A wife who could be a diplomat, a warrior, a partner, and could be left in charge when I'm away. Someone..." he sighed and shook his head. "Someone I don't think you're ready to be."

"No." She whispered so quietly that he almost didn't catch it. "I can be your partner. I can be a warrior. I don't think I could be a diplomat. I don't think I could make a good wife." She reached out and laid her hand on his arm. "This is the end, isn't it?" He saw the glimmer of a tear in her eye but in a blink it was gone. Maybe he imagined it, she was a viking after all. He nodded once, looking back to the ocean. She nodded as well and stood, whistling for Stormfly. In a few moments she was gone, he watched her disappear into the clouds. Toothless sent him a questioning look, following his masters' gaze. This was a pivotal moment, but what it meant, Toothless didn't yet know.

This is just a quick prologue. I'm not an Astrid hater, I won't do any bashing in this fic. She's a good character and works well to push Hiccup along in the first movie. I just don't know if he'll need her forever. This takes place between the first movie and the second in my mind. Age-wise anyway. So when you imagine Hiccup, think of the way he might look in-between the two, wearing more leather but not the whole get-up yet, that sort of thing.


	2. Chapter 2

**I DO NOT OWN ANY "HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON" CHARACTERS.** This is a fanfiction and was written for fun, nothing more. Thanks.

I'm going to do my best at spell checking/grammar checking this but if I miss something, sorry.

Also, I'm notoriously bad at finishing stories, but I've got at least half this story mapped out in my head. I'm going to do my best at finishing it. Here's the beginning, reviews would be nice.

_Sometimes it is in the sea  
Sometimes in the sky  
Sometimes it's in you and me  
Sometimes it's a cry_

_Open your heart__  
__I am calling you__  
__Right from the very start__  
__Your wounded heart was calling, too_

The wind rippled through his hair as he banked to go down under the clouds and saw his island come into view. He smiled, as much as he enjoyed to travel, this sight always settled in him warmly. His first view of home. He patted Toothless on the side and the slowed their descent, gliding effortlessly around the isle, taking in the view of the woods, the rocks and the small strip of beach below them. It had been another year, he was seventeen now and no closer to a wife then he had been before. But he was closer to being chief. He'd been visiting other tribes, learning how other vikings did things, and why. He'd even gone farther, meeting new people with completely different traditions and beliefs. He was fascinated, and was happily making allies. Lost in his thoughts he almost missed the subtle change in direction Toothless had just made. He blinked and looked down the the dragon, following it's line of sight. Someone was lying on the beach, and even from above he could see a stain of red across them. Without a word, he and the dragon dove down, landing sharply a few feet away from the body. Hiccup leapt off his dragon and bounded across the sand, sliding to a stop not six inches away from the blood covered mass that looked like nothing he'd ever seen before.

A mermaid. He was standing above a mermaid. He fell to his knees, inspecting the damage done to her. A slash tore through her scales from left hip all the way across to the right side of her fluke. It wasn't bleeding anymore, but it didn't look very well healed either. Where her tail changed from scales to skin, she was decorated in bruises or every shade. He pushed the long, wet hair out of the way, barely noticing it's color was the same shade of deep greyish blue as the sea, to find another rip in her skin that stretched from the top of her left breast to her chin. Her throat wheezed as she breathed and when he laid his fingertips gently upon her neck to move more hair out of the way her eyes slanted open. He froze, looking into her eyes he suddenly realized how human she was. And how helpless. He shook himself mentally, and ran back to Toothless, pulling a soft fur cloak from his saddle pack before running back to her.

"I'm going to help you, but it's going to hurt when I move you. Please don't fight me." He laid to cloak out on the sand next to her, fur side up, as he spoke in the gentlest voice he could muster. She watched him, her breathing increasing, and she nodded, closing her eyes. He gingerly pushed his hands under her thought the sand, and when he felt them break free on the other side he deftly lifted and sat her back down on the cloak. She sighed, relieved, as he wrapped her up in it. He did his best not to touch her inappropriately as he covered her modesty. _Mermaids must not wear clothes_, slipped though his mind as he lifted her once again, this time cocooned in the cloak as he carried her bridal-style to Toothless. "Fly slow and easy, bud, she's going to have to lay across my lap." He said as he mounted, settling her in. Toothless nodded and off they went. Flying straight for the village. It seemed like mere moments and Toothless had landed with a soft thump in the grass behind Gothi's door. Hiccup, as gently but as quickly as possible, dismounted and ran inside.

"Oh!" The aged woman turned in surprise as the chief son burst through her back door.

"You have to help me." He gasped, laying the mermaid down upon her wooden floor in front of the empty fireplace. "She's hurt." He kneeled by the mermaid's head, looking desperately at the elder. Without a single word, Gothi approached the creature and examined the wounds before just as silently going to her cabinet and rummaging through it to finally return with a large jar of green paste, a bowl of water and a rag.

"You must apply this twice a day, liberally. Take the jar. I'll make more. Put it on the wounds until they're healed." As she spoke, she dipped the rag in the water and began to clean the wounds. Peeling dirt and other particles out, pulling back scabbing to release pus, and making to wounds look fresh and shiny. She spoke calmly, ignoring the twitches of pain and hisses coming from the creature she worked on. "I am afraid that she wont be able to swim very strongly for a long while with a wound like this, she'll need to be kept somewhere safe where she can swim to gain her strength back." The elder began to apply the green paste and at it's touch the mermaid sighed in what was obvious relief. Gothi smiled. "There's a numbing agent in the paste. It helps." As she got the the mermaid's neck she frowned before continuing on. "This wound will heal, but I fear what it's done on the inside. If she could speak before, she might not be able to now." She lidded the jar, handing it to Hiccup and looking him in the eye over the now resting mermaid. "Hide her, heal her. She is new and might not be able to ever return to the sea. If the legends are true she might be able to join us, and if that is so she will need a teacher. But for now, she needs to rest. Come to me when you need more." With that she stood and ambled out of the room. Hiccup nodded at her back, turning back to the mermaid below him. Now that the rush and fear was over, and he knew she was going to be healed, he took her in. Starting with her tail. It was big, sprawling across the floor it looked like a thick and brightly colored rug. The edges of the fluke ended in graceful points, with smaller fins on the sides. It had a vaguely menacing look to it, but lying so serenely it was simply beautiful. Trailing his eyes up further he found two more fins on her hips or similar fashion and he knew from lifting her that a dorsal fin ran from the middle of her shoulder blades, down her spine and tapered off at here her knees would be, were she human. Her tail scales transitioned smoothly to her upper half, and on her arms from elbow to wrist were more fins, smaller and daintier. He ran his fingertips down them, lifting her hand as he got to it to find her fingers webbed all the way to her last digit. He laid her hand back down upon her belly and his eyes found her ribs. Slits were there, closed now as she breathed through her mouth. Gills. Without thinking, too entranced in his inspection, he touched those too. The uppermost one was just under her breast. As his fingers paused, she gave a shuddering breath and he looked to her face. She had been watching him, lazily, calmly, and with total trust. He smiled and looked back down her body. Most of her was a soft green, but swirling like smoke were darker green and black accents. All her fins ended in black, fading to it in a gradient that was almost imperceptible. The lightest parts of her was her human skin, and in the sunlight drifting through the still open door behind him he could see it shone with a pearl sheen. He brought his eyes back to hers. Storm gray eyes met his, set like jewels in a face so beautiful and exotic it almost hurt to look at it. Her hair, drying now, pillowed around her in soft waves of blue, gray, and green. He gently wrapped her back in the cloak, lifted her and silently carrying her back to Toothless. As they launched into the air again, her felt the woman in his arms settle her body more snugly against his. He looked down at her as they headed to the cove he'd found Toothless in. She seemed to trust him totally now. He hoped he didn't disappoint. 

Weeks of steady treatment was working. Her gashes were almost healed, and she was more comfortable than ever in the cove. He would visit her at dawn, to bring her breakfast and help her with the ointment. She was going to have some large scars, and across her tail where the gash was her scales were mis-colored now, becoming much paler in comparison. Her fluke fin had a rip in it, be she still seemed able to swim alright. Gothi had been right, though, if she had been able to speak before, she couldn't now. After giving her breakfast he always had to leave to go to the smithy's, but once he was done in the afternoon he would return and had been teaching her the runes as best he could. She was a fast learner, and he was really happy with the progress. He had yet to learn her name, but they communicated fairly well, between what little she was able to write and hand gestures. He called her Maiden for now, until she could best write her name. She was lounging on a rock in the sun when he walked to the cove that afternoon, the tip of her fluke barely in the water. He'd noticed that lately, she would come ashore, on slither up on a rock but was always careful to leave a little bit in the water. He made a mental note to ask her about it. Toothless, lying nearby, raised his head at his rider's appearance. Hiccup smiled and motioned that the dragon could stay sitting, and Toothless happily returned to his nap.

"Hello, Maiden." Hiccup greeted calmly, trying not to startle her. She didn't so much as flinch and he watched a slow smile spread on her lips as she languidly turned to look at him. She still wore no clothes, with the gash across her chest he saw no reason to irritate it with a shirt and since she wasn't bothered, neither was he. Actually he'd gotten used to it, but he knew if she ever was introduced to the tribe, clothes would be needed. He could just imagine the things Snotlout would say, none of them pleasant and all of them made a flash of anger course through him. He mentally shook himself and walked forward, climbing up on the rock with her. "I brought you a gift," he pulled a newly made leather journal out of his vest pocket. "I hope you like it." She smiled and took it from him, playing her webbed hand down the tooled leather. Scales, similar to hers, had been engraved on the front and back, with a wave motif as the border. A charcoal pencil was in a small pocket on the inside of the front. She looked at him, smiling before pulling him in for a hug. When she pulled back she shrugged her shoulders, pursed her lips and gestured to the journal.

_Why? _Her actions asked. He smiled and looked away, his gaze falling to her tail and it's fresh scar. He traced his fingertips over it, happy to see it was finally healed. She didn't need the medicine any more.

"I want to know your story. You've gotten really good at the runes. I was to know your name." He looked back up to her eyes. "I want to know you." He smirked. She bit her lip, rolling it and looking demurely back down to the journal. "I have to go away for a few days." He gaze shot back up to him, surprised, sad, pleading. "There's a neighboring tribe having problems training their dragons. I have to go help them. I'm going to have a friend come here and make sure you have food, keep you company. Let her know if you need anything." He got up, sliding off the rock and pausing as he steadied himself. "Um...she's going to bring you clothes too. Well at least a top." He glanced at her chest bashfully before looking back to her face. "Now that you're healed...well...as much as I enjoy the view, it's more befitting to hide it." He blushed and went over to Toothless. She looked down at herself then back at him while his back was turned. Shrugging she laid the journal down and rolled over onto her stomach to sun her back, keeping a tip of a fin wet, if she was going to live amongst the land walkers she'd have to adhere to their ways. Hiccup mounted himself in Toothless's saddle, giving her one last look before leaving. His eyes followed her wave of thick hair, down her back and the graceful dorsal fin that was there, all the way to her fluke. She was a beautiful creature. He put his helmet on and held on to his saddle horn. With a flick of his peg foot he and Toothless bound into the air.

Allright so he's found his mermaid! Yay. For those that want a better idea of what the tail looked like check out this ( art/Blue-Patterned-Tail-400322295 ) for a closer idea of the colors, only insert green instead of blue, this ( art/Angler-369273083 ) for the shape of the fluke, and this ( art/Mermaid-in-Black-and-White-400322392 ) for the look of the dorsal fin – only start it higher on the back. ^.^ I'm a Merbella fan. Lol.


	3. Chapter 3

**I DO NOT OWN ANY "HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON" CHARACTERS.** This is a fanfiction and was written for fun, nothing more. Thanks.

I'm going to do my best at spell checking/grammar checking this but if I miss something, sorry.

Also, I'm notoriously bad at finishing stories, but I've got at least half this story mapped out in my head. I'm going to do my best at finishing it. Reviews would be nice.

_Somewhere beyond the sea  
He's there watching for me  
If I could fly like birds on high  
Then straight to his arms I'd go sailing_

Astrid stood on the dock, watching the black silhouette of a night fury glide away, his rider a tiny speck against the sun. She looked down at the waves crashing against the rocks, pondering the task he'd left with her, and when she looked back to him he was gone. He'd told her the tale of how he'd found a mermaid, and was helping it. She wasn't sure she believed him, she wasn't sure she wanted to. The way he'd described her, he made her sound so beautiful. Maybe she was. Astrid frowned, turning from the horizon to walk to the her house. She had a few hours yet before she was to bring the creature some dinner. She needed to find some clothes for her. Hiccup had been vague and bashful when trying to describe her side. Fruitlessly gesturing with his hands against his own chest when she'd asked him if the mermaid was similar in side to her, he'd frozen when he'd realized what he was doing, dropping his hands and looking away.

"Find a tunic or two." had been his suggestion, desperately trying to end the conversation as he waved off her other questions. "Go see her, you'll be better at this." He'd walked away then, his face red and his mouth caught between a smile and a sigh. With resignation, Astrid reached her house and went to dig through her chest of old clothes. None of these fit her quite right, and she hope they would work. She found three tunics, all simple creme colors with leather lacing at the top. An old wide brown belt she found would help keep the shirts from looking to masculine, and she pulled our a loose skirt just in case, as well as an old pair of leather bracers for her arms. She stuffed all of the items in a knapsack and slung it over her shoulder.

"That should do it." She nodded and wandered out towards the great hall to eat dinner herself.

The mermaid had moved back into the small lake, swimming as deeply as she could, and breathing in the cold water through her gills. She settled at the bottom and looked back up to the sky through the water. It was glowing a brilliant orange and she knew that her new visitor would be arriving soon. She'd only dealt to Hiccup and the healer, she wasn't sure how to handle the new guest. She twisted her tail from side to side, enjoying the feel of the sand sliding across her scales. She pondered the journal, still waiting for her up on the rock. Could she write her story? Should she? Rolling over to her belly and looking around at the few fish in the lake with her as her hair wafted in the small currents she'd made she decided she should. She was going to have to start a new life here, better not to keep secrets, especially not from a land walker brave enough to tame a dragon. Gracefully, and slowly she glided from the lake floor to the top, pausing before breaking the surface as she caught site of a large blue dragon landing nearby. She went down a little further, doing her best to keep an eye on the beast from her angle. A girl slid off the back of the dragon, dropping a large sack at her feet and looking around the lake with squinted eyes. The mermaid swam slowly, just under breaching the water, and as she neared the edge she broke free and looked at the blonde girl without a barrier for the first time.

Astrid gasped, the mermaid had made it to the shore, boldly curling in the sand as she lifted her upper half to better face the viking. No wonder Hiccup had described her so beautifully. Astrid felt a pang of jealousy sting her, but shook it off. Hiccup and she were no longer together. They hadn't been for a long time now. She lifted the pack and strode towards the mermaid.

"I'm Astrid." She began when she was near enough. "I've brought you food, and clothes. Hiccup sent me." She smiled and was glad to see the mermaid return it with a nod. Adjusting herself, the maid settled better in the sand, rinsing her hands off in the water as Astrid sat near her and began pulling out the food she'd brought from it's thick wrappings. The mermaid watched her with fascination. "What is it?" Astrid finally asked, nerve wracked back the staring. The mermaid hid her smile behind her hand and gestured to Astrid's straight hair, letting her fingertips slide down the braid that kept it out of her face. Astrid handed her the food and the mermaid turned her attention to it with a smile. Hiccup had told her the maiden couldn't speak, but was surprised at how little words were really needed once she thought of it. "It's a braid. I hate it when my hair gets in my face." The mermaid blinked at her, rapt it seemed. "I could braid yours if you wanted?" She got at an excited nod from that and laughed. "Ok, I will. When you're done eating and we've got some clothes on you." Astrid took a moment while the maid was eating to study her. The tunics would fit, and wouldn't be too baggy in the chest once she got the belt on. She looked down the mermaid's tail, she wouldn't need the skirt. Looking around the cove, Astrid wondered why she would really need the shirt, but supposed Hiccup had a plan and figured it was better to at least have the shirts on hand for the maiden. She pulled out one of the tunics, lying it in the dry sand and digging for the belt and bracers. The sky had darkened now and she got up to grab some firewood, positioning it near the lake edge and having her dragon start it for her. When she came to sit down again the mermaid was done, dipping the cloth the food had been wrapped in in the lake to better scrub the grease off her hands. She turned to Astrid when she was done, looking at the clothes expectantly and curiously. It didn't take long to get her in them and when she was done Astrid began braiding her hair. When she was done the mermaid had a thick plait going down her back, with two braids from just about her ears and two braids from the top of her forehead starting it. It took well into the night, and with the mermaids' hair color changing it streaks like the sea it gave the braid a striking look in the firelight. It had taken a while to do it, her hair was so thick and long, and the mermaid had been sitting still and peaceful the whole time. Astrid tied off the plait with a bit of leather and let her hands slide from the mermaids hair down her back. The mermaid turned to her and smiled as Astrid stood and went to her now sleeping dragon. "I have to go. I'll be back tomorrow." She waved and leapt upon the dragon, waking it and bounding off into the night to do a sweep around the island before going home.

The next days went by similarly, Astrid would visit the mermaid, sometimes finding her swimming in the water with her clothes left on the shore, but more often she would find the maid perched on a rock in the sun, her tail dangling in the water as she wrote furiously in a leather journal. During those times Astrid kept her visit short, merely setting the food down and leaving the maiden be. Hiccup was due back tomorrow evening. Astrid still wasn't sure what to think of the maid but she didn't seem a threat so besides not knowing much about her personally, Astrid as terribly concerned.

The afternoon before Hiccup arrived, Astrid brought the mermaid some sweet bread and helped the maiden back into her clothes, adding a leather bodice she'd been given by a neighbor that was a big to big for her in the chest. She laced the maiden in and helped her adjust the tunic, tucking it all in so none of it came out the bottom. It fit her perfectly and Astrid smiled at her as she moved to help her get the leather bracers on over the flouncing sleeves.

"Hiccup is going to love this. It looks great on you." she tied off the last lace and sat back. "Do you want your hair braided again?" The maiden considered but finally nodded, gesturing with her hands.

_A little._ Astrid nodded. She'd do a simpler braid this time. She was careful to make it neat, and was surprised to see the sunset marking the sky when she was done. Before she left she added wood to the fire pit she'd made and lit it for the maiden.

"He should be here soon." Astrid waved as she mounted her dragon. "I'll see you later." The mermaid waved as she flew off. She needed to finish her story.

_My name does not translate well to your language. You can call me Venilia. _

_ I am from an ocean in the farther south, but was cast out when I refused to choose a mate. I was a princess, daughter of a great descendant of a sea king not know to your people. When I, as eldest, refused to marry, the queen banished me for a year to the northern seas. The merman they meant for me to wed was cruel, and it was well known. Saying I was banished was a lie to keep from having to execute me outright, mermaids avoid the northern seas to keep from the dragons that live there._

_ Before you found me I was sure I was going to die. I've been away for months now, carefully avoiding anywhere I've found evidence of water dragons. My luck had run out, and I got attacked. I barely escaped being boiled but he still chased me, nearly eating me as I outran him to the shallows and finally on shore where he couldn't follow me. I had been there at least a day when you found me._

_ I have no interest in going back to my kingdom. Or the sea. Teach me to be a viking._

The note ended there. Hiccup sat in the firelight, and he looked over at the sleeping maid. She'd been like that when he landed. Sprawled out on her stomach in the sand by the fire, her arm pillowing her head. The leather of her bodice and bracers shone with a supple age, and the tunic looked soft and worn. Her tail stretched out behind her, the tip of it as usual in the water. The wind ruffled her fins and hair and he sighed, looking back to her note. How was she going to be a viking? Or avoid the sea?

Aaaannnnndddd that's where I'm at now. I'm currently really excited for this story. I hope ya'll like it. :)


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